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National Nutrition Month is an annual educational campaign created by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The focus of the campaign is to educate the public about making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits.

Consumer research confirms that taste tops nutrition as the main reason why one food is chosen over another. The foods people enjoy are likely the ones they eat most. The campaign “Enjoy the Taste of Eating Right” explains how to combine taste and nutrition to create healthy meals to meet your daily nutrition requirements. It is important to find balance between choosing the foods we like with those that provide the nutrients we need.

Explore New Foods and Flavors

At the grocery store: when shopping, try a new fruit, vegetable or whole grain every week. You can start small by picking a different color vegetable, a new type of fruit, or whole-grain rice until you are comfortable picking new things you’ve never tried before.

Cooking at home: vary the way you cook your dishes. Bake or grill the chicken you usually broil. Roast the potatoes you typically mash. Steam the vegetable you typically sauté. You have about 10,000 taste buds so it’s a good time to experiment with new flavors.

Top foods with chopped nuts or reduced-fat sharp cheddar to get crunch, flavor and nutrients.

Make sandwiches on whole-grain bread, such as whole wheat or whole rye. Add slices of avocado, tomato or cucumber to lean roast beef, ham, turkey or chicken.

Spend a few minutes to cut and bag vegetables so they are in easy reach of every family member; some ready to eat favorites include red, green or yellow peppers, broccoli, carrots, celery sticks or cucumbers.

Make Mealtime Family Time - research shows that family meals promote healthier eating. Add one more family meal to your weekly schedule and plan tasty menus together.